Maia Song Contest 2

The Maia Song Contest 2 was the second edition of the Maia Song Contest. It was held in Oxenryd, following their victory in the previous edition of the contest, with the song "Counting Sheep", performed by SAFIA. The host city was determined as the capital Arceo after an official bidding process.

Forty countries confirmed their participation, including seventeen debuting nations.

Location
The event took place in Yilteva Stadium in Arceo, Oxenryd. It can hold a capacity of approximately 22,000 attendees.

Bidding phase
Four venues were announced as possible venues for the competition to be held. BTV and the MBU announced the conditions under which cities and venues could announce their interest in hosting the contest.


 * The host city had to be near a major airport.
 * The venue must be available for at least six weeks before the contest and one week after the conclusion of the contest
 * The venue must not be open-air, but an air-conditioned building with a capacity of at least 10,000 and a minimum ceiling height of 15 metres (49 ft), insulated for sound and light.
 * The green room must be located as close to the arena as possible (or within it), with a capacity of 300.

On 18 July, it was announced that four venues had presented their bids to host the contest. Yilteva Stadium, in the Oxenri capital of Arceo, had been selected as the venue for the contest.

Host venue

Semi Final 1
Arkaystia and Kashykia also voted in this semi-final. A voting grid can be found here.


 * 1. Arendelle failed to deliver their votes, and thus incurred a 50% points penalty.

Semi Final 2
Björnska, Darkwood, and Oxenryd also voted in this semi-final. A voting grid can be found here.

Final
A full playlist containing all twenty-five songs can be found here. A voting grid can be found here.


 * 1.The song is in English, however there is one line in Japanese repeated in each chorus.

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Maia Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active MBU membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. The MBU will issue an invitation of participation in the contest to all active members. The following countries have given the following statements regarding their participation.

Active MBU countries

 * – The country was originally set to debut however withdrew a few days before the deadline. The country was consequently fined by the MBU for late withdrawal.


 * – It was originally announced by the Galatian broadcaster that they would debut at the first edition of the contest, however they were later withdrawn after failing to submit an entry before the deadline. They ultimately could not debut in this edition either.


 * - Despite originally confirming participation, including the selection of the song "Dimension" by artists Anna Constantinova & Synops, the country had to withdraw due to a lack of time and resources. The Lianistani broadcaster LSTR confirmed a return in the next edition.

MBU non-members

 * – On 19 July 2016, It was reported by regional newspaper Yr Dagthúil Nuadion that the country would debut in the contest. However, the MBU confirmed the next day that the country was not eligible to debut due to their membership of the Björnsk Kingdom.


 * – On 20 July 2016, Shaniqua Diva Fantasy Network (SDFN) announced that they had applied for MBU membership, a prerequisite for the contest. However it was rejected as the country is not recognised as an independent state.

Change of Artists for Flowek
On July 26, Jessica Mauboy had to withdraw from the second edition of the song contest after personal reasons ruled her out from competing. She stated in a press conference that she "will enter the contest one day but at this current time didn't think it would be right to enter." P!nk, who finished 2nd in the national final, replaced Jessica Mauboy with Just Like Fire.

Cancellation of the Lussantian National Final
On July 23, Lussantian RadioTelevision announced the cancellation of Lusjnska Pjsma za Ocjnrudska and their withdrawal from the contest, due to a lack of votes and poor ratings of the national final. However, on July 30, LRT cancelled their withdrawal from the contest and called a professional jury to select one of the NF songs. The next day, LRT announced that the selected song was "Don't Let Me Down" by The Chainsmokers and Daya.

Nudity of Dunnish spokesperson
During the voting procedure of the grand final, Dunnish spokesperson Tommy Wiseau undressed and revealed his full body on live television as part of a publicity stunt to promote his new feature film. Wiseau didn't get much time in the spotlight after he committed the act however, as Oxenri broadcast OSTV censored the live video feed seconds after the initial reveal. However, despite getting censored quickly, his efforts were not in vain. Many people expressed their support for Tommy's actions on social media, including celebrities such as Danny DeVito and Miranda Cosgrove. It is overall estimated that the presence of Wiseau's body in the broadcast made the total viewership increase by 21% in Dunwaye.

International broadcasts and voting
Please check the list of official rules before submitting a spokesperson.

Voting and spokespersons

 * 1)  Amy Poehler
 * 2)  Papi Flacko
 * 3)  Trisha Paytas
 * 4)  Angelique Kerber
 * 5)  Fabian Hambüchen
 * 6)  Tommy Wiseau
 * 7)  Toli Ukkuko
 * 8)  Grace Helbig, Hannah Hart & Mamrie Hart
 * 9)  Joanna Windborough
 * 10)  Sophie Kachinsky
 * 11)  Sanne Wevers
 * 12)  Huangzae Fu

 Tina Fey  Mantas Kalnietis  Lee Lin Chin  Rijxian Oroyajis  Emmelie de Forest (Flowek representative in the first edition)   Çıldıs Tanagaşeva  Mr. Blobby  Teddy Riner  Amanda Romuche</li>  Shelli Poole</li>  Iiris Vesik</li>  Nagita Kurasagi</li> </ol>

 Aubrey Plaza</li>  Marcel Nguyen</li>  Milena Vasić</li>  Eleni Foureira (Lussantia representative in the first edition) </li>  Judge Judy</li>  Big Ang</li>  Nami Amuro </li>  Beren Saat</li>  Daama Vuoliu</li>  Vivienne Pinay</li>  Shaniqua Stevic</li>  Maggie Smith</li> </ol>